In August 1585, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, was curing his swollen foot at Cornbury Park near Oxford after a fall from his horse. Expecting that the queen would soon nominate him to lead her troops in the Netherlands, he received a long letter from William Cecil, Lord Burghley, Lord Treasurer and the queen’s senior statesman, as well as Robert Dudley’s very old acquaintance.
Burghley effectively complained in his letter that Leicester had supposedly told a certain lady that he did not like Burghley. Leicester had now time to read the letter and compose his reply, which Burghley endorsed, “the Earl of Leicester in answer of my Letter to him; written at Cornbury Park”:
My Lord, I perceive by your Letter, you were doubtful to write; but that you would avoid misconstruction, it pleaseth you rather to write, than be silent. I do thank your Lordship, that you will take that way, wherby those you deal and live withall may rather know what you hear, than to concele what you mislike.
Your Lordship doth say, that you have been many times informed, that I have had misliking of you; but the informers would never bring forth their false proofs, but rather deal doubtfully. I trust, for such informers, I shall need little to stand in answering them. Your own wisdom will easily discharge me; being so well acquainted with the devices and practices of these days, when men go about rather to sow all discord betwixt such as we are, than to do good offices. A matter not strange neither to your Lordship, nor me, since our first acquaintance in service together. And as your Lordship protesteth first your own innocency, so I hope you never yet brought in proof, or so much as in question, any yll dealing on my part against you; but rather yourself affirmeth, you have always found me friendly, and well disposed towards you. And so must I say truly of myself; your Lordship hath not found a more ready friend for you and yours than I have ever been, if you examine all the matters wherein you have at any time employed me; when my credit was somewhat more there, than since it was [Leicester alludes here to his former closeness to Elizabeth, which he feels is now compromised somewhat by his marriage to Lettice Knollys], whether I dealt not very friendly with you, or no.
If now I may refer myself thus to tryal of your own knowledge, then is it as much as I desire for mine own, and your Lordship’s satisfaction. Yet do you remember me of one token more of my good meaning towards you: which is the honest report, I perceive, in your Letter, that your own children do make of me. A token, my Lord, where in good reason should serve for such a man against whom no proof is yet had, and that never did depend upon any, but merely her Majesty: that of like I did it not to flatter them or you. I have little any man’s favour, but to be a friend to a friend. I have always had a mind rather to count myself with worse than I am, than to crave benefit by any man. And thus much may I well say, that I know none able at this day, nor any heretofore, that have don me any plesure, that I have not deserved someways a good turn at his hand. But I shall leave for this matter every man to his own thankfulness; and content myself with such friends and fortunes, as shall please the Lord to send me.
These reasons, my Lord, that are alledged by yourself, and such likewise as are affirmed by me, mythinks, should be sufficient to hold your Lordship from setting any new strange opinion of me, what doubtful informers soever you have had. For I having, as you say, dealt well with yourself and your children, confessing I deal well with them, what sinister way is there then, to draw another construction of me?
Your Lordship must give me leave (though I seem tedious) thus to purge myself, having so just and honest cause to warrant me. For I mean not to seek any excuse by untruth, albeit it were for matter of greater weight than these are.
The first, as seems to me, which hath bred some mistake in your Lordship is, by the information also, that I should mislike with you for matters of the Low Countries, in finding fault of like with coldness, or else want [of diligence] in your dealing that way [Burghley was known to be unenthusiastic in sending an expedition to support the Dutch rebels against Spain]. I must, my Lord, say to this, as I did in the general before, if there be any person that will justify any such matter of my Speeches to charge you in that sort, then you shall see what cause you shall have hereafter to trust informers; otherwise you shall do both yourself and me wrong.
I have dealt, as your Lordship hath heard, perhaps more earnestly in those cases, than a wiser man would, but I trust without just cause given, or prejudice either of you, or any other Counsillor. And for that many times you yourself would tel, not only among us, but to her Majesty, how you were misreported abroad for that matter. I did deal plainly with your Lordship, even in particular, what I thought, and whom I heard, and most doubt of, to hinder those causes, which in my opinion had been reasonable cause, sufficient to have stayed your conceipt therin, without some better proof. But that is not my fault seeing I was not charged: and that without offence and in good friendship you might very well have don it to me, when it was first informed you. I must needs have taken it in very good friendly part [Leicester acknowledges that Burghley is unlikely ever to become an enthusiastic supporter of Leicester’s expedition to the Netherlands, yet is not going to fundamentally oppose it and said so to the queen].
The second thing being more fresh, and delivered to your Lordship by a party of some good credit with you, and yet but a report, will not suffer you to smother up the matter (for so you term it), but to touch it to me; and to refer the answer to me for your better satisfaction. I must needs take this maner of dealing of yours to be very honorable and good. For you tell me both the matter and the party that informed you. To which I will make you a true and just answer.
The very same day I came to London, my Lady Russell came to my house and spake with me touching her daughters causes [Lady Russell (Elizabeth Russell, née Cooke), sister-in-law of William Cecil and daughter-in-law of the recently deceased Earl of Bedford. Recently widowed, as her husband, Bedford’s eldest son had predeceased his father, she was appealing to Leicester to help her in her fight over her daughters’ inheritance]. And upon further talk of friends, and of your Lordship, I said to her (leaving the circumstances of our Speech) that I had cause, all things considered, to make as good reckoning of your friendship, as any other might do. And proceeding further upon this point (my Lady then taking no exception in the world to it, nor to take it in evil part), I did use these words, ‘That albeit there were some Houses did make shew to think you were more their friend than me (and named my Lord of Somerset’s House), yet my Lord of Somerset never shewed more friendship to your Lordship than my Father did.’ [William Cecil had obtained his position on the king’s council in the reign of Edward VI through the Duke of Somerset, then Lord Protector, and his more powerful position of king’s secretary through the Duke of Northumberland, Leicester’s father (after Somerset’s ouster)]. I did not doubt but you did think so yourself.
William Cecil, Baron Burghley, riding his mule in his garden
And, my Lord, I must think, if you do not forget it, that you do conceive so yet. For you do know I lived in that time, and do well remember the course of most doings. I was in no obscure place from the displacing of the Duke of Somerset, till the death of our master, King Edward. And if any man had greater authority at that time to place Counsillors about the King than my Father had, I will yield to my error. But, sure I am, when he had most authority, you were placed Secretary and Counsillor. Then (I refer it to your better remembrance, if your Lordship do not remember, as you write any more), then he was your good friend, that hardly could, either you or any other Counselor, have been then placed, without his special means and allowance.
And more worthy of good remembrance is it; for that this was don for you after some trouble which you had been in for the D. [Duke of Somerset] [Cecil had been placed in the Tower of London in the wake of the Duke of Somerset’s arrest in 1549; he came free as Leicester’s father took over the reigns of power in January 1550]. So I do approve the Speeches used. I thought I had to make as good reckoning of your friendship, as any other, if former deserts of my friend [my father] might require it. For the other Speeches your Lordship doth set down of her report also, that I said, you were not my friend. I assure you upon my word and truth, I spoke them not at all. The former [words] for sundry causes I did, which I mean not here to fall into disputation. You know my case, and can well consider, how all things stand with me. I do not complain of envy, but I may complain justly of disgraces and want of such friends, as I have been myself to others.
Your Lordship doth say, you are weary of your places; and wisheth another to have them, your credit saved. Truly, I know none, that either seeketh them, or that envieth you for them. For mine own part, I will answer faithfully and truly for myself, I more desire my liberty with her Majestie’s favour than any office in England. Besides your Lordship doth know to my poor power, there was no man more forwarded you unto them, than I did [Leicester alludes to his suggestion in 1572 that Burghley become Lord Treasurer, a position first offered to himself]. Thus much have I thought good to answer to those parts of your Letter.
And now, my Lord, if I would ground the like conceits upon tales and presumptions, I might, I think, alledge more just causes of unkindness, than any I yet heard of from you. As for these of my Lady Russel’s only, that she said, I should name you not to be my friend. Which is altogether untrue. The other part you have no cause to mislike of, for ought I conceive. But to enter into any particular causes I will forbear here to reply, til some other time. And your Lordship shall surely do well, having taken this occasion both to review, what former tales have been told you; and that this last report of my Lady Russell doth draw to you a confirmation of the rest. Albeit in your letter in sundry places your own self doth detect them, as doubtful informers; that yet you will, for a further tryal of the troth, b[r]ing some of these tales to question. Which may breed you a far better satisfaction, than otherwise I see I can do. And for the mean time I must, as your Lordship doth say you will do, content myself with this, and more wrong. Not being ignorant that you can, and are able to do both much good and great hurt; but the more good you shall do, the more acceptable must it be both to God and men.
And thus have I troubled your Lordship with a tedious Letter, and will pray to God, that he will give us grace to have minds to do that good we ought, to the glory of his name, and the service of our Sovereign and country. And so committing your Lordship to his holy protection.
From Cornbury Park, this 15th of August 1585. By him that hath given you no other cause but to be his friend,
R. Leycester.
Not unlike Burghley in his letter, Leicester sounds slightly huffed. He will not concede that he has been talking ill of Burghley, nor can he accept that Burghley seriously believed this. In their huffiness, both also pretend that they would like to lay down their public service and retire; there is no need to take this seriously.
It is again obvious how touchy Leicester still was after more than 30 years about the topic of the deadly rivalry between Duke of Somerset and his own father, the Duke of Northumberland. This is the salient point in this lengthy correspondence, and quite surprising.
All Things Robert Dudley 